


You Did Not Just Sell Yourself Out

by Original Characters (HMSquared)



Series: We Three Kings [1]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: 10/23/19, Arguing, Confusion, Demon/Human Relationships, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Light Angst, Mystery, Separations, Time Skips, disapproval
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24104770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMSquared/pseuds/Original%20Characters
Summary: Finn’s change in personality is, for once, not Bálor’s fault.
Series: We Three Kings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1739185
Kudos: 3





	You Did Not Just Sell Yourself Out

**Author's Note:**

> I've missed writing Bálor, my OG OC.
> 
> Enjoy!

On a first approximation, Bálor appeared to be asleep. Lying on the bed, his eyelids fluttered, dark tendrils coiling around his body.

He hadn’t allowed himself to fade out in months. Shaking from a dreamless slumber, the demon took in the ceiling and winced. His head stung, pounding and splitting. Why was he like this?

Sitting up, Bálor shook his head. Widening his eyes and blinking off the pain, he looked around. His location failed him. Where…

_ No.  _ His fingers shook.  _ I have to remember. I can’t be clueless.  _ In all his years as Finn’s twin, Bálor had never woken up like this. He always saw what the Irishman saw, always felt his pain.

He couldn’t hear Finn either. The human was silent in his brain. Also peculiar. Looking down, Bálor saw he was in his suit. Typical, so why did it worry him?

“The date.” It felt weird, speaking and hearing his voice so clearly. Giving the room another onceover, Bálor put his thoughts into words. “I have to find out the date.”

Legs shaking, he tried to stand. Bálor’s left knee nearly caved, causing the shadow to wince with worry. Was he even still a shadow? He had to be. He could feel his heart pounding irregularly.

Bálor tried to take another step; his leg whined in response. Clutching his ankle and hissing, he shook his head. No. He had to sit.

There was a phone on the bedside table. Pulling himself back onto the mattress, Bálor scooted over to it. Picking up the receiver, he smiled at the tone.

“Thank God.” Why was he so pleased by a ringing phone? It didn’t matter.

Pressing the button for the front desk, Bálor waited. And waited. After what felt like an eternity (but was only two seconds), someone picked up.

“Yes?”

“Hi…”  _ Dear God, why is my voice shaking?  _ “This is going to sound really weird, but what’s today’s date?”

“October 23rd.”

“Thank you.” And then he hung up.

October 23rd. That meant...flopping onto his back, Bálor ran the numbers. He had been out for a month. He had been lying unconscious, in this hotel room, for a month.

How?

Rolling onto his side, Bálor reached into his jacket pocket. The phone Finn had gotten him the Christmas before was still there, untouched. Unlocking it, he went to Twitter.

_ Finn Bálor returns to NXT _

“What?” Bálor’s voice was hushed. He clicked on the heading and scrolled through posts, trying to make sense of it all. Finn had returned to Full Sail...and he had done so without the Demon King.

“Why would you do that, Finn?” His accent flared. Closing and opening his hands, Bálor thought. Nothing fit. The man he had known for the past six years would never do this...not now, at least.

Bálor had changed over the years. Back in New Japan, he was the one in charge. But then Finn had started breaking through, asking questions. Their relationship was strained, cold. The move to NXT had upset the Demon King, angered him.

As the months wore on, Finn kept making himself known. The crowd loved his personality, wanted more of him. Bálor was forced to be quiet, take his place on the Irishman’s spine. At one point, he had considered killing him. But then things changed.

They started talking after matches. Bálor’s editorial comments became funny instead of annoying, and Finn began to respect him.

Now they were friends. Bálor had mellowed out. Now he was worried and confused. What had Finn done?

Seth. The name popped into his head instantly. They had spoken a few times, developed a rapport. Bálor could call Seth.

Scrolling through his contacts, he located the Kingslayer’s number. Not even thinking to check the time, Bálor pressed the call button and waited.

“Hello?” He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Seth, it’s me.”

“Bálor?” There was shock and uncertainty in Seth’s tone, both of which put him on edge. Something wasn’t right.

“Listen, I know this is very out of the blue, but…” Bálor trailed off. What came out of his mouth next felt strange, foreign. “I need help.”

“Almost thought I’d never live to see the day,” Seth chuckled.

“How much did Finn tell you?” Bálor didn’t have any patience for the Kingslayer’s bullshit. Not today, not now.

“He said you’d be pissed. He thought you might freak out.”

“Where is he?” It took Seth a moment to answer.

“I hear Florida’s popular this time of year.” Of course.

Two hours and twenty eight minutes later, Bálor found himself in Orlando. It was 7:30 p.m., a perfect time for him. He just needed to find a bar with a TV.

The streets were crowded, allowing him to blend in. Hands in his pockets, Bálor watched the civilians. They all seemed so carefree, so happy and blissful. Unlike him, the man who had lost his host without warning.

There was a sports bar two miles away from the airport. Walking in, Bálor parked himself at the bar, but didn’t order anything right away. He needed to stay alert and aware; besides, alcohol didn’t agree with bodiless shadows.

When 8 p.m. rolled around, he asked the bartender to change the channel. And there was the NXT logo, the music. Ordering one shot of beer, Bálor held the glass between his fingers and watched.

He didn’t care about any of the other matches. Where was Finn? Why hadn’t he made an appearance. After an hour and a half, Bálor was ready to give up.

But no. There was Finn, coming out to greet the Undisputed Era. He looked different: thinner, shorter hair, and a tattoo on his hand. Bálor found himself shaking his head in wonder.

Ciampa and Gargano looked happy to see him. It seemed like a classic three-on-three battle. But then Finn suddenly Pele Kicked Ciampa, sending him to the mat.

Bálor recoiled in his seat, flinching. Finn went after Gargano next, dodging his moves flawlessly. There was a hunger in his eyes, a bitterness.

_ It’s not real _ , he told himself.  _ Finn’s just acting.  _ But something wasn’t right. It felt like more than just scripted moves.

As the attack ended, Bálor stood up. Paying for his one drink, he left the bar more confused than ever. One thing was clear: he needed to find Finn.

He decided to call Hunter. NXT was his baby; he would know something about Finn’s turn. Standing on a streetcorner, Bálor tried his number. The Game picked up on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Hunter, it’s Bálor.”

“Bálor! How are you?”

“Where’s Finn?” The monster in him from all those years ago was waking back up.

“I take it you saw NXT?”

“Yes. Now where is he?” Hunter was silent for a moment.

“He bought a place just outside Sarasota, some area called Nokomis. I’ll text you the address.”

Two hours, thirty minutes, and several bus stops later, Bálor reached Nokomis. It wasn’t a very big town; he could see why Finn had picked it. Following Google Maps, he drove into a small neighborhood with pretty tan houses. Finn’s was at the end of the road, surrounded by trees.

Parking in the driveway, Bálor got out and straightened his jacket. He didn’t know what Finn would say, what he’d do. He prayed it didn’t end in violence, not that such a thing was likely.

He felt surprisingly nervous walking to the door. Shaking off the cobwebs in his brain, Bálor rose a hand and knocked.

The door opened, and there was Finn. His smile immediately fell as a tired, awkward grin appeared on Bálor’s face. But he didn’t slam the door, instead remaining completely still.

“Hello, Finn. May I come in?” Nodding, he stepped aside to let Bálor in.

The house was small, not too extravagant. Looking around, Bálor let his feelings melt away. They didn’t need to be quick about this.

“If it’s any consolation, I’m sorry.” Finn shut the door, waiting for his twin to speak. Bálor turned to looked at him.

“Sorry for what, Finn? Ejecting me from your body without telling me or turning heel without telling me?”

“I knew you wouldn’t approve.”

“And you’re right. It makes me a hypocrite, but you’re right.” The expression on Bálor’s face was unreadable, somewhere between sarcastic and pissed. “I don’t approve, Finn.”

“I don’t need your approval.” Finn looked very small before him. “I can make my own decisions.”

“Decisions that are wrong! Come on, Finn, this isn’t you!”

“Not the real me, no!” His sudden anger made Bálor fall silent. “But you know why our time in Japan worked? It worked because I let you control me. I let you play the bad guy, because I got to play the bad guy too.” Years of annoyance and pent-up frustration were finally leaving Finn’s mouth. “And I knew that if you were still around, you’d stop me from reaching my full potential.”

“Okay.” Bálor shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me you were unhappy?”

“You wouldn’t have listened.”

“Really? You still think I’m that same guy?” He stepped forward to glare at Finn. “I’m not the demon king anymore, Finn. I’m your shadow, your twin. And what we do, we do together.”

They both fell silent. Finn nudged past him, shaking. Bálor shook his head and whispered something under his breath.

“What?”

“I should go. We’ll talk about this later.” And he left, leaving Finn in the entranceway.

**Author's Note:**

> My grandparents live in Nokomis, a town no one has ever heard of. Wanted to honor them a little bit with this.


End file.
